Relationship between personality and self-measured blood pressure value at home: the Ohasama study

We conducted a cross-sectional community survey in northern Japan to assess the relationship between personality and home blood pressure value. The Japanese version of the short-form Eysenck personality questionnaire was used to assess personality. A total of 999 people selected from the general population participated. We showed that the personality extroversion score positively affected the systolic blood pressure value, whereas no significant relationship was observed between personality psychoticism or neuroticism and blood pressure value. This study is the first to clarify the relationship between personality assessed by the Eysenck personality questionnaire and blood pressure measured in a non-medical setting. When physicians investigate the pathogenesis of essential hypertension, they should take psychological factors into consideration, as well as the many environmental and genetic factors.